Rolling Stones Phone Boxes

The Story

This Marble Arch corner was one of the settings for the Rolling Stones' first official photoshoot on May 4, 1963. Photographer Philip Townsend drove the five Stones around the city in a Ford Capri and here at Marble Arch, where the iconic photos in front of the red phone booths were taken. The band was not yet signed to a record label. Andrew Oldham, the Stones' manager, used the photos in a meeting with Decca Records a few days later to convince executives to sign the band. The contract was signed shortly after. Their first single "Come On" was released in June 1963.

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